Tommie MacIvor
Thomasina Johanna 'Tommie' Hunter '''(born 17th February 1921 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a main character in From The Wolf's Den. She is the second child and only daughter of Cal Hunter and Stella Galloway. She has an elder brother, Harry, and a younger brother, Charlie. Biography Early Life (1921-1938) Tommie was born on 17th February 1921 in Edinburgh, Scotland to Cal and Stella Hunter. Tommie was raised in Edinburgh with her parents and brothers, Harry and Charlie, until she was eleven. Her mother, Stella was killed in a fire along with their neighbours, the McNairs, so the Hunter family re-located to Gravesend in Kent. After moving to Gravesend, Tommie gets work as a gardener at an all-boys institute and becomes friends with John Mooney, a teacher at the Grimley Institute For Boys and an old friend of her father, Cal. Life in the Women's Land Army (June 1939-November 1940) In early June 1939, the Second Women's Land Army was formed and recruitment got underway. The minimum age was 17 but by this time, Tommie had already turned 18. She signed up and was subsequently given an interview and medical test. She enrolled soon after. In July 1939, Tommie is sent to Shackleton Farm, a farm on the outskirts of Gravesend belonging to the Shackleton family. Tommie cares for the horses, milk the cows and delivers the milk to local houses by pony and trap. She helps the other land girls and finds good friends in Molly and Sydney. Tommie also helps the eldest son, George, with harvesting the wheat and planting potatoes in the fields. Over the course of the summer, Tommie and George become extremely close friends. In October 1939, George is conscripted and is forced to go and fight in the RAF. The Blitz (13th/14th November 1940) ... Aftermath of the War (1945) On 2nd September, the war officially ends. Physical Appearance Tommie is described as having very pale skin and quite a medium frame, but she is very strong for her size. She is said to have shoulder-length dark blonde hair and sky blue eyes. From the ages of seven until she was eleven, Tommie had her hair cut short like a boy and dressed in boys clothes, much to her mother's disapproval. Tommie is often seen wearing brown dungarees with a leather belt, a collared shirt and wellington boots. She is also often seen in her Land Army uniform (see right) when walking out consisting of a green V-necked long-sleeved ribbed jumper which was worn over a fawn aertex shirt, with the WLA tie for formal wear. On her head, she would wear a brown felt porkpie-style hat. Tommie would also wear laced brown brogue shoes, baggy brown corduroy breeches and knee length fawn socks. On occasions, Tommie would wear a navy blue nautical sailors dress (see left). It is a mid-length dress with a traditional white sailors collar with navy stripe trims and quarter length sleeves designed with the same pattern. The dress is buttoned down to the waist and has a navy belt. Personality and Traits Tommie is a very strong, selfless, hard-working, headstrong and courageous individual who was quite the tomboy as a child. Tommie was very rebellious and got into various fights with boys at her school, landing her in a lot of trouble. Growing up in Edinburgh, the vast majority of Tommie's closest friends were boys, including the neighbours sons, Dennis and Murdo, and so she grew up around their hobbies. Tommie and the boys used to play pranks on neighbours, buttering milk bottles and knocking on their doors before running away. They sometimes even ran away together and built dens in the middle of the woods. The three of them were very adventurous. The three of them spent many days in Edinburgh city centre, stealing from market stalls and pickpocketing strangers, but then came a time where Tommie had to leave her rebellious past behind her and take on adult responsibilities. Tommie doesn't mind getting dirty doing work and spends a lot of time hunting and mucking out stables. She has a very thick skin and is very tough and she isn't afraid to stand up for herself. Tommie always puts the people she cares about before herself. Tommie is a quite over-protective character at times, especially when in the company of her family or friends. At times, it seems that Tommie sees Stefan as a close resemblance to her deceased friend, Dennis, perhaps explaining why she is so over-protective of him. Relationships Family '''Cal Hunter Tommie's relationship with her father has varied somewhat over the course of her life. Growing up, she was extremely close to her father and they would do everything together. Tommie was always a bit of a tomboy, much to her mothers' disapproval, but Cal always told his daughter to be who she wants to be and not to change for anyone - a piece of advice she keeps close. After Stella's death, Cal, Tommie and Charlie moved to Gravesend where Cal's father, Ivar lived to start a completely new life together. Cal began drinking heavily after the disaster that killed his wife and eventually ends up gravely ill. By this point, it's 1938 where we first meet Tommie in the novel, working as a gardener to provide for her family. Cal can't work because of his drinking problems, so Tommie and her grandfather, Ivar, work day and night to look after Cal and Charlie. Cal becomes a very angered man who occasionally results to violence if he doesn't hear what he wants to hear, but the truth is, Cal is an extremely broken man who is in desperate need of help. Tommie is very overprotective of her father as she understands why he is struggling, but she is desperate for him to be there for her, but more specifically her younger brother, Charlie. Tommie feels more alone than she ever has, but her father is drinking himself into an early grave and she can't face any more pain of losing someone she loves. Stella Galloway Tommie never particularly had a close relationship with her mother, Stella. She was very much a traditionalist whereas Tommie never particularly took to tradition. Stella always wanted a daughter to brought up the way 'that they should be', wearing dresses and fluttering their eyelashes at young men, but Tommie did not take to this and partook in rebellious activities with her friends. Stella wanted Tommie to leave this 'tomboy' phase as soon as possible, but Cal didn't agree. He always believed that Tommie should be who she wants to be. Tommie's constant rebellion against the norm did not impress Stella at all and led them to have a very rocky relationship consisting of barely speaking and if they did, it would be arguing. Tommie was very detached from her mother, and even after she passed away, Tommie never cried. She never hated her mother, but they were both very different people. Ivar Hunter Ivar and his granddaughter have a very close relationship. They both do whatever it takes to provide for their family. Harry Hunter Tommie's closest friend, Harry is her rock. They have always been very close growing up, despite the eight year age gap, and trust each other with everything. Tommie is never one to open up to people, but with Harry she can talk to him about anything. Harry and Tommie have a very strong relationship, through good and bad, but they always joke about with each other and they always have each others backs. They share a common interest in hunting and shooting. Charlie Hunter Charlie is a very sweet and polite young boy. He confides in Tommie a lot and trusts her fully. Tommie taught him how to ride a horse and how to use a rifle for when they go hunting together and as their father drifted away, the pair got closer. Charlie looks up to Tommie very much as a mother figure and she tries her very best to make him feel as secure and as happy as possible, regardless of the pain they have faced. Magnus Galloway ... Isabella Boyd ... John Mooney Tommie has grown up with John always being around the family since he knew both of her parents and sees him very much as a member of the family. Having worked together at the institute for a time, they have grown a much closer friendship. George Shackleton Stefan Gundelach Molly Garrick Sydney Howland Aaron Riggs Gideon Mallory Tommie is fond of Gideon and creates a friendship with him after been given a job as a gardener at the Institute. Ebenezer Finch A man Tommie tried to avoid at all costs, she found Ebenezer a very mysterious and isolated man. She never took to him and barely spoke a word to him. The only thing that seperated Tommie from others was that she was the only person who was never intimidated by Finch and stood her own ground whenever she felt threatened by him. Euphemia Scarborough Euphemia is more of a sister to Tommie than a friend. The two of them have both worked at the institute for some time and both faced difficulties and tragedies in their lives. They are very close. They are both similar in personality too, both being strong and selfless. Joey Gunning Dennis McNair Murdo McNair Etymology * The name Thomasina derives from the male name, Thomas, meaning twins. * The surname Hunter is of Scottish origins. * Tommie shares her birthday, 17th February, with her grandfather, Ivar. * Is named after her paternal grandmother, Thomasina 'Tina' Gunn. Category:Land Girls Category:1938 Characters Category:Hunter family Category:English characters Category:Born in Scotland Category:Female characters